Chapter 08
“Mm, okay.”
Miela answered as if she understood, though she clearly had no intention of following through.
‘She’s going to get a stomachache at this rate.’
In the end, Istin poured some fruit juice from a transparent glass pitcher into a cup.
Miela tilted her head as she accepted the cup Titi handed her.
“What is this? It’s not water…”
“It’s juice. It’s made by squeezing fruit. Try it.”
“Oh, I see. Thanks!”
Miela took the cup without hesitation and gulped down the juice. Her eyes widened instantly.
“Whoa, this is super sweet!”
“Of course it is. I added honey.”
“H-Honey?”
Miela suddenly recalled a memory from a few months ago—how she’d stumbled across a beehive, approached out of curiosity, and ended up getting painfully stung by a swarm of bees.
‘My eyes swelled up like balloons. I could barely keep them open, and it stung so much.’
She’d been teased by the neighborhood kids for days because of her swollen face.
But that bad memory quickly faded away.
Because right now, the feast laid out before her was simply too magnificent. There were so many dishes that even just a taste of each would be enough to fill her up.
Miela almost wondered if she’d been invited to a heavenly banquet.
“Hey, Titi.”
At last, after she’d eaten her fill, Miela glanced up cautiously and spoke.
“What?”
“There’s a lot of food left over… do you think I could take some home?”
Istin was taken aback by the unexpected question.
“What? What did you just say?”
“I-I just… wanted to eat it again later at home. Is that not okay?”
“…Haah, do as you like.”
Seeing her earnest expression, he couldn’t bring himself to say no. He sighed and agreed—but he still felt uneasy.
‘I didn’t see a magical freezer at her place earlier.’
Not surprising, really. It was practically a collapsing shack.
‘So if she takes food home, it’ll just spoil anyway.’
His thoughts continued to spiral.
He imagined Miela looking sadly at spoiled food, trying to eat it because it felt too precious to waste, and ending up with a terrible stomachache.
‘Yeah, no. That’s not happening.’
Istin suddenly changed his mind and spoke firmly.
“Wait. Don’t take the leftovers with you.”
“Oh… yeah. I shouldn’t have asked. Sorry.”
Miela hung her head, embarrassed. Istin looked at her and slowly shook his head.
“Don’t take it the wrong way. I’m not scolding you. I’m just worried you might get sick from spoiled food. So instead, I’ll invite you here again tomorrow. Sound good?”
“…What?”
Miela looked at him with wide eyes, as if she hadn’t understood what he said.
Istin repeated himself slowly and clearly.
“Let’s eat together again tomorrow. Here.”
“R-Really? Is that okay?”
“Of course. I’ll come pick you up in the afternoon.”
At that, Miela looked worried and mumbled quietly.
“Will you be okay coming alone again? You might collapse…”
“Don’t worry. This time, I’ll bring the butler and a knight with me.”
Even in this moment, she was still worried about him. Istin couldn’t help but let out a small, amused breath.
* * *
The next day.
‘That bread yesterday was so soft and delicious…’
Miela was now chewing on a dry piece of rye bread for breakfast—or perhaps lunch. Normally, she would’ve devoured it in seconds, but memories of yesterday’s warm and splendid meal kept flashing in her mind, making it hard to swallow.
She took a sip of water from the well and thought to herself,
‘It’s okay. Titi said he’d invite me again today.’
She believed in Titi’s promise completely. Even though the village adults and kids alike often changed their minds or let her down, she was sure Titi was different.
Because in that little boy’s eyes, there was trust—just like her mother’s used to be.
“Hey, Miela!”
Two kids around her age approached her, clearly looking to pick a fight.
One was Meria, the grocery store owner’s daughter, and the other was Jerome, the son of the miller, who often hung out with her.
As they came closer, Miela quickly hid her rye bread behind her back.
“Wow, for once you don’t smell today! Did you bathe, like, five times in the river or something?”
Jerome, pretending to pinch his nose in disgust, suddenly stopped and stared curiously.
“Uh… n-not exactly…”
Miela stammered, unsure whether they’d believe her if she told the truth.
Meanwhile, Meria’s eyes scanned Miela carefully, and her expression changed dramatically.
“Wait, Miela, that’s a dress I’ve never seen before. Where did you get that?”
She was referring to the dress the head maid at Titi’s mansion had given Miela yesterday.
Compared to the rags she usually wore, this was soft and lovely—so much so that she didn’t want to take it off, even though she knew it would wear out quickly if she kept it on all the time.
“Right? That dress is way too nice for someone like you!”
“Yeah, where’d you get something that fancy?”
Suspicion clouded their faces. Meria and Jerome exchanged glances, then turned back to Miela with sharp eyes.
“I knew it! You stole that dress, didn’t you, Miela?!”
“No, I didn’t! I swear, I didn’t steal it!”
Miela shouted in panic, her voice loud. Jerome scoffed and yanked on her sleeve, nearly tearing it.
“Come on, just confess already. We’ll tell all the grown-ups! Someone like you could never get a nice dress like that on your own!”
“I didn’t steal it! It was a gift! Let go!”
Afraid the dress might rip, Miela cried out desperately.
But no one believed her. Meria snorted in disbelief.
“Yeah right. Who’d give a treasure like that to you?”
“It was… from the mansion over the hill…”
Normally, at this point, Miela would’ve burst into tears or run away.
But not this time.
Because this dress wasn’t stolen—it was a gift from a wonderful new friend.
“What was that? Can’t hear you! Speak up!”
Jerome taunted her, pretending he hadn’t heard even though he clearly had.
Sensing his mockery, Miela’s gaze sharpened with determination.
“I said, this dress was a gift from someone at the mansion over the hill. I was invited there yesterday! I didn’t steal it!”
“Yeah right. There are noble folks living in that mansion. You expect us to believe you were invited?”
“Exactly! Someone like you would never be welcome in a place like that.”
Jerome and Meria jeered in unison.
“No! I really was invited yesterda—!”
“Forget it. We’re not listening to a liar like you anymore. I’m going to tell my mom. Hahaha!”
Jerome laughed mockingly, pretending to whisper behind his hand. Meria joined in with a triumphant yell.
“Great! I’ll tell my dad too—he’ll spread the word to everyone in town! We’ll make sure they all know Miela’s a dirty liar and a thief!”
But just then—
“You two—what do you think you’re doing?! Miela, are you okay?”
A small figure appeared from behind and shouted, voice brimming with anger.
‘Titi? What’s he doing here?’
Startled by the familiar voice, Miela looked up—and locked eyes with Istin.
Behind him stood the same knight and butler she’d seen at the mansion the day before.
But strangely, instead of relief, her heart was filled with embarrassment.
‘I didn’t want Titi to see me like this… getting bullied by other kids.’
Miela couldn’t raise her head. She didn’t know what kind of expression he was wearing right now.
What if he thought she was pathetic?
“What the…? Wait, that voice—huh?!”
Jerome, who had assumed the voice belonged to just another brat, turned and gasped in shock.
“Y-You’re…?!”
